ASHHRA eNews Pulse

As we head down the home stretch for 2011 and into the holiday season, let me be one of the first to wish each and every one of you, and your families, a very happy Thanksgiving! Personally, I know that I have much to be thankful for in my family, work, and ASHHRA life. It’s a great time for all of us to reflect on the blessings we have received throughout the year, and especially in these tough economic times.

We are in an amazing profession and there is never a dull moment. Many of you are doing your end of the year compensation work, or developing your plans for 2012, budgeting, and of course, who can forget benefits open enrollment. Our strategic minds continue to be stretched in this time of doing more with less, and many of us are trying to keep our entire workforce team engaged in a time of little or no pay raises and reductions in benefits! The message has been worse in 2011 than it has been for some time now, and we can only hope things will get better. Keep the faith!

You have probably seen, and hopefully have participated in, the informational survey offered recently by board members Maureen O’Keeffe and Karmen Reid. We are seriously looking at the possibility of making health care human resources certification a reality. I worked in high technology HR for twenty years before entering the world of health care in 1999. We are definitely unique and health care HR has complexities that are synonymous only to those of us in the business. As we continue to press forward with this initiative, please feel free to send us your thoughts and ideas.

In closing, please check out all of the informational items that ASHHRA offers to you on a regular basis in support of your HR initiatives. Your membership in ASHHRA is important to us and we want to continue to offer you the very best and most-up-to date information. We are paving the way on many legislative fronts and we seek your participation and feedback on all initiatives. Your ASHHRA staff and board, committee chairs, and our regional and state leaders are here to work for you and we are always open to any suggestions or ideas to improve our support to you and our chapters. And, we would love for you to get involved!

Until next month,

Bob Walters, SPHR
Corporate Director, HR Operations
Health First, Inc.
3550 North Harbor City Blvd.
Melbourne, FL 32932-0069
(321) 434-1957
bob.walters@health-first.org  

 

Full-time workers in the U.S. who are overweight or obese and have other chronic health conditions miss an estimated 450 million additional days of work each year compared with healthy workers, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/resources/best_practices.shtml#wellness to view the full article online.

 

NLRB announced several decisions in recent weeks that will have a significant impact on all employers. The IRI Intelligence Briefing discusses the recent decisions and the potential implications and preparations employers should begin making to prepare for the effects of this rulings.

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/advocacy/index.shtml to view the full article online.

 

The October issue of the Health Care Labor Report is now available for ASHHRA members to download. It features an article on employer wellness programs and the various laws and regulations that affect plans and programs, NLRB s actions around mandatory flu vaccines, and a summary of recent NLRB and DOL rules.

Visit http://www.hospitalconnect.com/oam/login.jsp?domain=ASHHRA to view the full article online.

 

By John Commins

Online advertised vacancies for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations fell by 25,000 listings in October, snapping what had been two consecutive months of impressive gains for the sector, the Conference Board reports.
SOURCE: HEALTH LEADERS MEDIA

Visit http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/HR-272780/Healthcare-Online-Job-Postings-Plummet-in-October to view the full article online.

 

By Dr. William Reichman

We are on the threshold of a new era: an unprecedented shift in global population aging, with the number of persons over the age of 60 expanding by 1.2 billion in the next 40 years.

SOURCE: HOSPITAL NEWS

Visit http://www.hospitalnews.com/creating-a-culture-of-innovation-in-senior-health-care/ to view the full article online.

 

By Suzanna Mahler

Apparently, physician employment opportunities are on the rise. "The Las Vegas Review-Journal" recently reported that "the health care industry is one of the top 10 fastest growing areas for employment over the next decade.

Visit http://hospitalphysicians.com/2011/10/20/physician-jobs-on-the-rise/ to view the full article online.

 

Approximately 70 percent of employers supplement their qualified health benefit plans with additional employer-funded, non-qualified retirement benefits for their senior executives is one of the major findings in a pair of studies on executive benefits and healthcare compensation published Oct. 31 from Integrated Healthcare Strategies, a compensation and human resource consulting firm.

SOURCE: CARDIOVASCULAR BUSINESS

Visit http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/index.php?option=com_articles&view=article&id=30277:reports-healthcare-execs-still-receiving-substantial-compensation-benefits to view the full article online.

 

By Bob Herman

A recent New York Times report showed that more physicians are seeking business degrees to build a foundation of skills and knowledge about the business of healthcare. Currently, there are 65 joint MD/MBA degree programs at universities compared with only five or six in the late 1990s.

SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/physician-executive-compensation-how-are-top-physician-leaders-paid.html to view the full article online.

 

By IRI Consultants

Developments in Labor and Employee Relations collated in one easy to view bi-weekly publication from IRI. Learn more about developments in the industry from October 1 through October 15, 2011.

SOURCE: LABOR NEWS & VIEWS

Visit http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a251f1e71b2160195e556ddb4&id=9a5ff94d02&e=511c0cb9a2 to view the full article online.

 

By Betsy Caron

In an age when many medical schools are issuing tablets in place of textbooks, physician recruitment firms and practices must keep up with the industry’s latest technologies in order to improve communication and outcome.

SOURCE: HEALTHCARE IT NEWS

Visit http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/5-must-have-technologies-physician-recruiters to view the full article online.

 

By Kelly Kennedy

Medicare inspectors must do a better job of tracking reports of serious mistakes in care at the nation's hospitals, as well as of informing rating agencies of the errors, according to a report released Tuesday by the agency's inspector general.

SOURCE: USA TODAY

Visit http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2011-11-01/Medicare-inspector-general--hospital-errors/51021076/1 to view the full article online.

 

By Rachel Fields

Today's hospital leaders face a daunting task: keeping their organizations afloat and their employees happy while battling uncertain mandates of healthcare reform and fighting increased competition for patients, physicians and payor contracts. Paul Spiegelman, founder and CEO of The Beryl Companies, a technology focused patient experience company, discusses 10 traits of great hospital and health system leaders in the tumultuous healthcare climate.

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-adminstration/10-traits-of-top-healthcare-leaders.html to view the full article online.